We have all worn different types of shoes. We also know that the right shoe can change your life...ask Cinderella.
Before we start lets look at what are shoes and what they are for. Shoes offer protection of our feet from all the different types of elements, from nature (rocks, pebbles, mud, etc.). They can also be decorative or functional (in rare cases, both). Shoes aid us in getting where we want to go, in a more efficient manner. If a shoe doesn't fit they can end up causing pain. And we women are notorious for trying to fit our feet into shoes that do not fit, just because they look good. Yet, on the other hand, when they fit just right, WOW!! It makes a huge difference.
Our feet are an important part of the body. I am sure you have all seen those commercials where they say that, if you have a back ache look at your feet, or if your knees or hips hurt, look at your feet. The truth is this, if your feet are not taken care of, protected, then you could end up hurting other parts of your body.
You m be asking, what does this have to do with my spiritual walk? Lets look at the third piece of armor of God. God obviously felt that protecting your feet was a key item.
"With your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace..."
Ephesians 6:15
We are told to wear shoes. We must be ready!!
How many times have you been barefooted and had to rush to catch a toddler before she got into something? Or ran to catch the mailman, or any of the hundreds of things we women do everyday?
One thing I always hear about the Civil War was the lack of shoes. During that time, so many men went without shoes or finding ill-fitted shoes they found from a dead soldier. Sickness and pain followed with each step. I cannot imagine what they must have felt. There was no way they were physically or mentally able to focus on the battle.
With your spiritual shoes on, you are always ready to move when the Lord is ready.
Here are some of the shoes God has blessed me in!
RED SHOE
"For you created my inmost being;
You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be"
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be"
Psalm 139:13-16
You entered life with titles and different shoes.
- daughter
- grand daughter
- great grand daughter
- sister
- niece
- cousin....
God made you like that and you had nothing to do with it.
Eve was the first woman. She wasn't born. she was created. She was created in this world with no titles but wife. She didn't have a mom to show her how to cook, sew, take care of babies, or any of the numerous jobs moms have. Eve didn't have a sister, brother, grandma, etc. she didn't have any preconceived ideas or "baggage". Eve only had her husband. Eve didn't have mirrors to see herself. Now she may have seen her reflection, but she truly only got to see herself through her husband's eyes and heart. She also didn't have any friends to even compare herself to!!! God had to teach her everything- how to be a bride and a mom.
Being a toddler you don't get a say in what types of shoes you get...just whatever your mom sticks you in, is what you get. But, moms pick the hose that will help you learn to walk. Same as our Christian walk. When we are new Christians God gives us training shoes while we are learning His word and our walk.
YELLOW SHOE
The next important shoes I wore were when I was in junior high and high school. I was a cheerleader and band student. In and I was the drum major. I was very active and all eyes were on me. I was able to show others how a Christian acts, walks, reacts in all different situations in the many shoes I wore.
YELLOW SHOE
The next important shoes I wore were when I was in junior high and high school. I was a cheerleader and band student. In and I was the drum major. I was very active and all eyes were on me. I was able to show others how a Christian acts, walks, reacts in all different situations in the many shoes I wore.
"Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you."
Philippians 3:17
Paul wasn't saying to be exactly like him in this verse. He focused his life on being Christ like, and so should we. I realized how many people were watching me and I didn't want to make a bad name for Christ.
Some roles we are not just given. We acquire them even if we don't want those roles. Some of these roles may be:
- Student
- Aunt
- Wife
- Sister in-law
- Friend
- Mom
- Mother in-law
- Grand mother
- Great grand mother
- Care taker
BROWN SHOES
I have been on several different mission trips. In these times I had 1 pair of shoes to serve many purposes. These shoes were used to walk many miles, carry many children, play many soccer games, spreading the news, serving, and were completely worn out when I got home. I look at my shoes from the trip and just wonder what Paul's shoes looked like!
"How can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!!"
Romans 10:15
We must take God's great message of salvation to others so that they can respond to the Good News. How will your loved ones and neighbors hear it unless someone tells them? Think of one person who needs to hear the Good News, and think of something you can do to help him or her hear it. Then take that step as soon as possible!
GREEN SHOES
I also wear the shoes of big sister! If you said to me when I was still in school living at home that my sister would be my best friend, I would have laughed. But, she is my best friend! She knows just about every flaw, struggle, joy, and she is my confidant. We are honest with each other even if it hurts. We can cry together, laugh together till we almost pee our pants and we can even fight together and still hug afterwards. The bond between sister's cannot be broken (I know, that sounds cliche).We have shared a home for 18 years and then when she graduated high school she came and shared a dorm room with me at Southwestern!! That is when I discovered I could not live without my sister. There was a bridge that had always been there for us, but at that very moment, that bridge just closed up and we started talking ALL the time! I cannot go a day without talking to my sister. She was in the room with me during my children's births. That even made our bond stronger. I just am not sure what people who have siblings do when they don't have this type of relationship. One of my earliest memories of Nan was when I was around 3 years old. Se was sick and I just remember sitting on the edge of my bed watching my mom rock her and hum till she fell asleep.
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| Nan (left) and I (right) |
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity"
Proverbs 17:17
What kind of friend are you? There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of genuine friendship is loyalty (loving "at all times" 1 Corinthians 13:7) being able to help in of distress or personal struggles. Too many people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friendship helps them and leave when they are not getting anything out of the relationship. Think of a friend and assess your loyalty to them. Be the kind of true friend the Bible encourages.
PINK SHOES
The next very important pair of shoes was my wedding shoes. My shoes were very unconventional (converse tennis shoes). In those shoes, I committed to my husband and God that He would be the center of our marriage. Also, in those shoes I was able to give my husband, Carl, my true love waits ring. A commitment I made to God in junior high, I was able to see it through and give that gift to my husband. Also, my husband and I got to partake in the Lord's Supper together. This was a visible showing that we were both committed to the Lord and doing this together strengthened us and united our faith to God. We also wanted our guests to know we are proclaiming that Christ died for us and that we love the Lord.
"Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate"
Matthew 19:6
Matthew 19:6
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| Carl and I. I am wearing my momma's wedding dress! |
So my "wife" shoes are helping teach our kids what and how to be a spouse and how to treat their future spouse. Also, I am there to help support my husband!
"Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
Ephesians 5:33
We merged as one and that doesn't mean I gave up my personality just to be married to Carl. Instead, it means caring for Carl as I care for myself, learning to anticipate his needs, helping the other person become all he or she can be. A hard spot is trust and allow you to not be ashamed. Adam and Eve were not ashamed in the garden.
"The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."
Genesis 2:25
You know how a child can run around their house naked as a jay bird and feel no awkwardness or shame? They aren't even aware that them being naked should be an issue, just as Adam and Eve were not embarrassed in their innocence. But after they sinned, shame and awkwardness followed. They created barriers between them and God. We all have areas we don't want our spouse or God to know about. Then we hide just as they did from God. When we try to hide and put on those fig leaves (barriers) because of certain areas you just don't want to come forth with usually makes other areas lack in your marriage. In the same way, when we fail to expose our secret thoughts to God, we break our lines of communication with him.
"Do not be anxious about anything...present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus"
Philippians 4:6-7
Philippians 4:6-7
We need to see and know God's peace!! Know that God is in control!! If you would have asked me 4 years ago that I would be where I am today, I would have doubted you. This last year has been such a blessing to know that when you do what you are being called to do, everything just falls together. My walk with the Lord is better than ever, my relationship with my church is wonderful, and my relationship and love for my husband has seriously doubled over the last year! I urge you to really just give into the Lord and ask what and where you should be. he will lead you 100% of the way. Just have a leap and take the dive with him. So glad that God, gave me Carl to be my husband. I just have taken that leap and gave my marriage to the Lord. I couldn't have done this without God.
PURPLE SHOE
Next very dear to my heart is my mom shoes! So long cute sandals and flip flops!! I am chasing and keeping up with kids. So, I wear tennis shoes or my TOMS. In these shoes God has blessed my socks off!!
My first blessing was a 9 pound 19 1/2 inches boy. He came out with some hair and after the first bath, it was all washed off practically. In fact he was about bald until the age of 2. He has been the true answer to my prayers of what type of baby I wanted. He ate well, slept well, and cried VERY little! As he got older he was a master at learning. He soaked everything in. He was a fluent reader at the age of 4 and now is at a 5th grade+ level reading. He is very well mannered and extremely sensitive to others needs and moods. He never gets too excited and a man of very few words (unless he is rawled up and totally in his comfort zone). He loves to cuddle on the couch and would let you read to him all day long. In fact, he is so well behaved I could forget he even was at the house, even as a toddler.
My second blessing was a blessing in disguise. I didn't see it in the moment though. I found out I was pregnant and was very very upset about it. We were sitting at a local restaurant when I told my parents, grandma-ma, and sister. I cried the whole time and was not happy. I was not ready physically (BL wasn't even 1 year old yet) and I wasn't near ready emotionally. I did not think there was any way to ever love another human being as much as I loved my first. I was "done" after BL was born. He was too good to be true. I called the doctor to schedule my appointment. I went in at 6 weeks along and everything seem to be going fine. I thought maybe once I heard the heart beat I would feel differently. When I was there and the doctor checked the heartbeat, there was not a strong loud heart beat (not like BL's at 6 wks). So the doctor said, "next time you are here we should be able to hear it better, maybe you aren't as far along as we think". So I left and was still pretty upset. Like I had been for the last 6 weeks. He did allow me to come the next week to give it another take. I was just over 7 weeks and the heartbeat was still the same...and he did an ultrasound at this time. The baby was very small. Not measuring 7-8 weeks. So in the next 4 weeks I did lots of praying and decided this baby would be good and I could be a mom of two! I had good feelings at this time now. Well, the next morning I woke up and did my normal routine. Always use the restroom first thing and there it was...blood. I knew what was happening. I knew about this since this was pregnancy number two and they always give new moms the speal about what to do if this happens. I called Carl, he came to get me and my mom met us at the hospital. I had a million things running through my head and all I kept thinking was WHY? And, are you serious? Why put me and Carl through this? Just as I came to terms with the pregnancy and know I could love another baby, it was just ripped away (literally). At that time I was done with what just happened. It was probably a year later to year and a half that I actually decided to face the fact of what happened. I have come to terms that this was a learning tool from God to remind me He was in full control and I was wrong. I knew the whole 12 weeks I was pregnant it wasn't going right. Developmental of the baby and I just didn't feel good. God gave m something and took it away just as fast. I know God is the complete master and director of my life. He knows what happens before I even think about it. God may have used this as a major learning curve for me and also took the baby that wasn't strong enough to live. Blessed that God gave me this part of my mommy hood and also blessed he took the baby when He did. One day I WILL get to meet this blessing!
My 3rd blessing and OH what a blessing she is!!! She was also a 9 pounder 20 inches long. With a head FULL of black hair! She has the biggest eyes I have ever seen on a little girl. All these people kept saying how different number two would be. I was like really??? I am going to raise her in the same way as I did with BL and do the exact same things. I thought to myself, "seriously people! They can't be THAT much different!!!" But....., was I wrong AND right at the same time. She is very vocal, demanding , and extremely carefree. Everything happens when Bear is ready. She is also far above her smart level like her big brother, but she is a social butterfly deluxe. She likes drama and she has the gift of controlling. She can control anyone she comes in contact with. She is the boss and isn't afraid to tell you she is. And talk about independent. YIKES! She does things to get what she wants and I have NO idea where she comes up with theses ideas. Thinking she will be some kind of engineer being she can get things to stack that shouldn't be stack-able just so she can climb on the counter. And I am the one who gets "the look" as if I'm in the wrong for not allowing her to do it.
With both of my babies they have taught me so much. I have never felt so blessed in my entire existence! The saying "my cup runneth over" is an everyday thought. David had that phrase correct in Psalms 23:5. The love I have for my children is nothing for the love God has for me, his follower. I am one lucky woman to be one of his chosen ones!!
"Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life"
Psalms 23:6
My mother/wife/woman role that God has given me it is my job to tend to my children's needs.I am blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom. I love everything about my job and role as a "homemaker". I feel successful at being a mom and a wife. One of the ways I feel successful is because I have picked women I see as successful to watch. My mom was a successful mom and wife. I see other ladies in church who I look up to, to see how a woman of God chooses to act. Titus 2:3-5 says, we younger women should watch the older women who are exemplar women of God. I am considered a "young-un". So, I am looking towards those older than I to show me how to be a Godly woman, wife, and mother. Same as some of you may be one of the older ones that are being looked up to. You are to show younger ones like me how to honor and motivate us towards God. Along with being a wife and mother.
Everyday I have something to do. Monday is laundry, Tuesday bathrooms...etc. You know the story of Mary and Martha. When I have guests over, I am in close relation with Martha. Some of us are Mary's and some of us are Martha's. We are ALL guilty of being a Martha at some point. Jesus didn't say Martha's style of serving was wrong, just don't down grade serving the Lord. Priority is always to glorify God.
I am in full throttle momma mode. My every being is for my kids. Dirty jobs, clean jobs, fun jobs, not so exciting jobs. I love it all. At this very moment my job is momma hood. I am so devoted to doing my job correct and as well as I can. To me (and only me) my job is to ensure my kids are the most loved, the best behaved, most respectable, and of course the smartest. Over all they have met those requirements thus far almost all the time. On top of my own requirements, I have God's requirements. I am to instill the word of God in their hearts and minds in order to teach them this in Proverbs 1:8, kids learn values, morals, and priorities by observing how parents react every day. If I express and show a reverence for the Lord my kids will pick up on this attitude. Also, my ultimate objective is to prepare them in a way so they are able to move out of my home and take on college and adulthood. I am nowhere near that phase in my life yet, I know it's coming.
Turquoise Shoe
The shoes I look forward to in years to come will only bring more and more blessings. Looking forward to my geriatric shoes to help feel stable and comfort. I pray that this will be the same in my Christian life. We become more comfortable in who we are and in our walk with the Lord is more stable. Pray that I get to be a mentor to a woman who was once in my shoes. I pray that I am wise in my upper age. Wisdom comes from trusting God.
The shoes I look forward to in years to come will only bring more and more blessings. Looking forward to my geriatric shoes to help feel stable and comfort. I pray that this will be the same in my Christian life. We become more comfortable in who we are and in our walk with the Lord is more stable. Pray that I get to be a mentor to a woman who was once in my shoes. I pray that I am wise in my upper age. Wisdom comes from trusting God.
"Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance"
Ecclesiastes 8:1
Knowing God will lead to understanding and then to sharing this knowledge with others.
So, with all that said I do believe we all have different shoes that we try to obtain and some that are given to us. The main pair of shoes or roles that we have been given, was the role of being adopted.
"He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-"
Ephesians 1:5
We are all children of God and He is who He makes us to be! SO, take all that you know about yourself and remember that God has chosen you. God has chosen what shoes you have. God has chosen and given you all the different types of blessings that he has so willingly gave to you. Remember to give God the glory and honor with every step you take!!
Many Blessings To YOU!!!
Truly wonderful, Lindsey. Thanks for sharing!
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